Carl Pohlad

Owner of the Minnesota Twins from 1984 to 2009

Carl Ray Pohlad (August 23, 1915 – January 5, 2009) was an American financier from Minnesota. Pohlad is best known as the owner of the Minnesota Twins baseball franchise from 1984 (succeeding Calvin Griffith) until his death in 2009.

Quick Facts

Born: 23 August 1915
Birthplace: Valley Junction, Iowa, U.S.
Died: 5 January 2009
Place of death: Edina, Minnesota, U.S.
Known for: Owner of the Minnesota Twins (1984–2009)
Education: Gonzaga University
Children: 3 (including Jim and Bill Pohlad)

Lore & Background

Pohlad was born in Valley Junction, Iowa, to poor parents of Slovak descent. He grew up in West Des Moines, Iowa, graduated from Valley High School in 1934, attended Compton Junior College and Gonzaga University, but dropped out after the football season of his senior year. He served in World War II from 1943 to 1946, fought in Europe, was wounded, and received the Purple Heart and Bronze Star Medal. After the war, he married Mary Eloise O'Rourke and moved to Edina, Minnesota. They had three sons: James, Robert, and William. Pohlad got his start in banking by foreclosing farms during the Great Depression and built a banking empire. He became president of Twin City Rapid Transit, saving it from Fred A. Ossanna. He also owned part of the Minnesota Vikings from the mid-1980s to 1991. He died of natural causes on January 5, 2009, at age 93.

Reader's Guide

The Twins won their first World Series in Minnesota in 1987, and another World Series in 1991. These were not back-to-back titles. Pohlad was close to selling the team in 1997 to Don Beaver, but the deal fell through. In 2001, he offered to sell the Twins to MLB for $150 million as part of a contraction plan, but a court order blocked the sale. A bronze statue of Pohlad and his wife was installed at Target Field in 2010.

Did You Know?

Pohlad was scheduled to participate in the Normandy Invasion but was kept out by a case of poison oak.
In 2006, Forbes ranked him tied for the 107th richest person in the U.S. with a net worth of $2.6 billion.
He bought the Twins for $43.5 million in 1984.